Press Releases

Intel Committee Ranking Member Schiff Statement on Facebook Turning Over Ads to Committee

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement:

“As part of their continuing cooperation with our Committee's investigation, Facebook has now turned over more than 3,000 ads it uncovered that were purchased by an organization connected to Russian intelligence services. These ads are significant to our investigation as they help demonstrate how Russia employed sophisticated measures to push disinformation and propaganda to millions of Americans online during the election, in order to sow discord and chaos, and divide us from one another.

“As we fully examine these ads in the coming days, we will be particularly interested in understanding their full reach, in particular to determine what groups and individuals were most heavily targeted and why. We will continue to work with Facebook and other tech companies to determine the full extent of Russia’s use of online platforms, including paid advertising, since what we now know may only scratch the surface.

"The American people deserve to see the ways that the Russian intelligence services manipulated and took advantage of online platforms to stoke and amplify social and political tensions, which remains a tactic we see the Russian government rely on today.

"Later this month, when our committee hears directly from tech firms in an open hearing, it's my hope to make a representative sampling of these ads public at that time so we can inoculate the public against future Russian interference in our elections. But I am also committed to making all of these ads public as soon as possible, working closely with Facebook to address any privacy considerations."